Screw driver



July 23, 1929. S, E, SPOFFORD 1,722,116

SCREW DRIVER Filed June 10, 1927 5t ephen v15f 6,0 afford, 1 M%/%mi I fitter/7%.

Patented July 23, 1929.

STEPHEN E. SPOFFORD, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

sonnw DRIVER.

Application filed June 10, 1927. Serial No. 197, 81.1.

The invention relates to screw .drivers having a gripping tool for holding thescrew on the screw driver ends so that the operator will not have to hold the screw in his fingers while the screw is being started.

The invention consists -of'a gripping tool encompassed by a screw driver member which is constantly held outwardly beyond.

the ends of the screw driver by a coil spring. The gripping tool is normally at right angles to the screw driver ends and is suitably anchored to a fiat spring which allows the gripping tool to turn against the tension of the said flat spring, the opposite end of which is anchored in a stationary support until the screw driver ends enter the slot when set in the screw slot.

in the screw. 'When the gripping tool and the screw driver ends are in position the gripping tool by the tension of the flat spring causes the sides to bind against the side of the slot in the screw, thereby holding the screw in position so that the operator will not use his fingers to get the screw started. 2

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap and practical device for holding the screw on the screw driver so that the operator will not have to hold the screw in his hand while it is being started.

Referring to the figures: Figure 1 is an elevation of a screw driver with a screw held in position. I

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the screw driver showing the various parts with the gripping toolin the outward position.

Figure3 is a longitudinal section taken ninety degrees from the section line in Figure 2, showing the gripping tool in position in the slot of the screw. Figure 4 is a section showing the screw held by the gripping tool.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the screw showing the slot.

Figure 6 is a cross sectiontaken across the1 screw driver ends and the gripping too Figure 7 is a cross section taken across the screw driver ends and the gripping tool Referring to the drawings, similar nu- Inerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. In the form which I have chosen to illustrate the principles of my invention, the numeral 10 of the screw driver represents the shell of the tool which is provided at its working end with a bushing 11. This bushing is tapered at 12 and 13 and adapted to set .into a slot 14'of the screw 15 for placing the screw in position by turning the screw driver manually. Securely fastened to the opposite end of the screw driver is an operating handle 16. The center of the bushing 11 is bored out and is adapted to receive the gripping tool 17 which extends through the bushing 11 in the tube and operates or controls the grip ping mechanism. The bushing 11 isrigidly secured to the shell 10 and is held inposition by thepins 18 and 19. The pins 18 and 19 were originally one piece of metal and extended through the space occupied by 4 thetool 17. After the pin is put solidly in pos1t1on the portion extending through the bore is drilled out, making two pieces as shown. The outer end of the gripping tool 17 is tapered, as indicated at 20 and adapted I to set into the slot 14, of the screw 15. Integral with the opposite end of the gripping tool 17 is a head 21 provided with a deep slot 22. The slot 22 is adapted to receive the flat spring 23, the opposite end of which rests in the slot 24 formed in the elongated head 25. The head 25 is formed integral withthe bushing-26 which is rigidly secured to the shell 10 by the pin 27. The pin 27 extends into the shell 10 and holds the handle 28 rigidly in position. Encompassing the head 25'is a coil spring 29 whose ends rest against the bushing 26 and the flat spring 23. The coil spring 29 constantly forces the fiat spring 23 and the gripping tool, 17 outwardly as shown in Figure 3.

v In operation the screw 15 is placed on the gripping tool 17 as indicated in Figure 3. The screw gripping tool 17 and head 21 is turned against the tension of the spring 23 as shown in Figure 4 and pressed downwardly until the screw driver ends, 12-and 13, enter the slot 14: of the screw 15 and is held in position bythe sides of the gripping screw without holding it with his fingers. It will be seen that when the screw is pushed downwardly that the flat spring 23 is pushed against the coil spring 29 and is free to slide axially into the slot formed in the elongated head. This operation allows the screw to be held in position while the operator is placing it.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A screw driver and a screw holding means comprising a screw driver bit, a rod having a holding bit end centrally located in a bore formed in the screw driver bit,

and means to yieldingly project the bit part of the said rod'beyond the main body of the driver bitand a second means for yieldingly holding the projecting bit shaped part of the rod at right angles to the bit shaped portion of the body whereby the slot of the screw may be engaged by the pro-jccting bit portion of the rod and the said bit portion turned into alignment with the bit portion of the body and thrust back so that the slot of a screw may be engaged with the bit portion of the body and there held by the reaction of the driver bit and the bit holding bit and centrally located in a bore formed in the screw driver bit,a coil spring to yieldingly project the bit part of said rod beyond the main body of the driver bit, a flat spring inserted into slots formed in the handle and the holder rod for yieldingly holding the projecting bit shaped part of the rod at right angles to the bit shaped portion of the body whereby the slot in a screw may be engaged by the projecting bit portion'of the rod and the said bit portion turned into alignment with the bit of the body and thrust back so that the slot of the screw may be engaged with the bit portion of the body and there held by the reaction of the driver bit and the bit portion of the rod in opposite direction on opposite walls of the screw slot.

STEPHEN E. SPOFFORD. 

